Injured five-eighth Stephen Larkham believes Matt Giteau will be handed the No.10 jersey ahead of Mat Rogers for the opening international of the Wallabies' European tour, against France in Marseille on November 5.
Larkham, who will miss the tour because of a shoulder reconstruction, is expecting Giteau to regain the pivotal spot even though Rogers excelled at No.10 in Australia's previous Test against the All Blacks in Auckland.
"I think the France Test is the most important and hardest game of the tour, and I'm sure [coach] Eddie [Jones] will put his best side on the paddock," Larkham said yesterday. "You'd probably go with Gits
just because of his experience."
But this does not mean Larkham has a low opinion of Rogers' ability as a five-eighth. To the contrary, he was impressed with how well Rogers transferred from fullback to midfield.
"He had a very strong kicking game, and for the conditions that night it was very good. I would have liked to see him running the ball a bit more, and I'm sure he would liked to have done that as well," Larkham said.
However, Larkham argues that by the end of the Super 12 Giteau was showing he was a gifted playmaker. "You could see Matt improving week to week
it's now a matter of him getting used to making those primary calls."
